The Bodyguard Bride, that was my working title for this book. I liked the alliteration, but more than that, I loved the twist of having a female bodyguard, especially when I took her out of her usual environment and dumped her somewhere out of the ordinary. Surely a royal palace counts as out of the ordinary, don’t you think?

I adore writing royal stories and what I most enjoy is that tension between royal glamour and rules and the human story going on behind the scenes. So, I was positively gleeful when I imagined my tomboy heroine forced to pretend she was a royal princess, complete with tiara, ballgown and high heels. For what could be more fun than putting a fish-out-of-water twist on a royal story?

You see Cat (Catherine) Dubois has spent her life trying not to look like her royal half-sister. Gracious, feminine, accomplished Princess Amelie is a poster girl for modern royalty. But for Cat, the secret, illegitimate daughter of a king, her uncanny resemblance to her half-sister was a source of gossip, prejudice and outright cruelty. She turned her back on her homeland of St Galla years before, determined to make her own way in the world. Yet circumstances force her hand and she finds herself pretending to be the sister she’s never met, because she’s sure the missing Amelie is in trouble. Now she has to trade her martial arts moves for waltz lessons.

As you can imagine, it’s a tough time for Cat. But worse is to come, when King Alex of Bengaria arrives. He’s charismatic, charming and sexy, and he’s there apparently to court Amelie, though his plans aren’t that simple. Things become even more complicated when Cat and Alex find themselves falling into lust with each other. Or could it be love? Either way, the instant zap of attraction is sure to lead to trouble. And what of Alex’s determination not to sign up for an arranged marriage? Or his dislike of deceit in any form?

The odds are stacked against Cat and Alex, which is just the way I like it. I enjoy seeing my hero and heroine work hard to win their happy ending.

If you read this story I hope you find yourself smiling and sighing as the story unfolds. I did! This is the first book in The Princess Seductions duet. The second  is The Greek’s Forbidden Princess and solves the mystery of Princess Amelie’s disappearance.

If you want to find out more about either book, drop by my website where I share excerpts and even some photos of the beautiful Mediterranean villa that inspired the St Gallan royal palace in this story.

To keep abreast of upcoming stories and for behind the scenes peeks you can also sign up for my reader newsletter.

Happy reading! I hope you enjoy an escape to sunny St Galla for a touch of passion, royal glamour and excitement.

Annie

 

By The Mills & Boon team